Exclusive:Dame Andrea Jenkyns admits mistakenly uploading 'endorsement' webpage including stock photo of fake US Senator

Dame Andrea Jenkyns has admitted she mistakenly published a stock photo of a fake US Senator as an endorsement on her campaign website.

The former Tory MP for Morley and Outwood defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK last week, and will run as the party’s mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire.

Her campaign page - Andrea4Mayor.co.uk - initially had an endorsements page, with a number of photos of what appeared to be stock photos.

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Dame Andrea told The Yorkshire Post that this was meant to be a template website, and should not have been published.

The “endorsements” included a woman named Christine York, who was listed as a US Senator.

Former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns has joined Reform UK just months after losing her seat in Leeds.Former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns has joined Reform UK just months after losing her seat in Leeds.
Former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns has joined Reform UK just months after losing her seat in Leeds. | Tony Johnson

There is not a US Senator of that name, and the photo appears on 16 different websites including one advertising a virtual office assistant.

A second endorsement was listed from Michael Levin, titled “district leader”.

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There is a US politician named Mike Levin, however this is a different person.

The photograph appears to originate from the photo archive Shutterstock.

Endorsements on Andrea Jenkyns' campaign page, which she says was not supposed to be published.Endorsements on Andrea Jenkyns' campaign page, which she says was not supposed to be published.
Endorsements on Andrea Jenkyns' campaign page, which she says was not supposed to be published. | Andrea4Mayor.co.uk

Four other photos, all of which appeared to be stock images, were listed as endorsements on Dame Andrea’s website, including from Tracy Fox, who was described as an actress and an activist.

The page was live for more than four days since her defection, but has now been taken down.

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Dame Andrea told The Yorkshire Post: “This is a template website that I quickly put together myself as soon as I had been selected - that page shouldn’t have even been live.”

Andrea Jenkyns' endorsement page on her website, which she says was made live in error.Andrea Jenkyns' endorsement page on her website, which she says was made live in error.
Andrea Jenkyns' endorsement page on her website, which she says was made live in error. | Andrea4Mayor

And speaking about her candidacy, the former West Yorkshire MP said she would bring a “common sense approach” to politics in Greater Lincolnshire, ensuring “every penny of taxpayers’ money is a penny well spent”.

“That’s going to be the key thing,” she added, “looking at infrastructure projects, inward investment and the skills agenda because I was the Skills Minister.”

Melanie Onn, the Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, said the website issues showed “what little respect she [Ms Jenkyns] has for Lincolnshire and its residents”.

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The Greater Lincolnshire mayoral race next May will give Reform UK a great chance to get a foothold in local government.

The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice is the MP for Boston and Skegness.

Dame Andrea was a staunch supporter of Brexit and Boris Johnson, and became notable for swearing at people protesting ahead of Mr Johnson’s resignation.

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